Lincoln movie summary

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Lincoln is a biographical war drama movie that is based on events during the life of the 16th president of the United States , Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln tells about President Abraham Lincoln during January , in his efforts to pass the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in the United States House of Representatives, which would finally ban slavery in the country. Expecting the Civil War to end within a month but concerned that his Emancipation Proclamation may be rejected by the courts once the war has stopped and the 13th Amendment defeated by the returning slave states. President Lincoln seeks help from his cabinet including the founder of the Republican Party Francis Preston Blair who can help congress vote yes on stopping slavery. Seward about the problem of Democrats. Grant received a surrender from Confederate General Robert E.

Lincoln movie summary

The film focuses on Lincoln's efforts in January to abolish slavery and involuntary servitude by having the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution passed by the United States House of Representatives. Filming began October 17, , [9] and ended on December 19, Lincoln was acclaimed by critics, who lauded its acting especially Day-Lewis's , Spielberg's direction, and its production values. He is concerned that his Emancipation Proclamation may be discarded by the courts after the war and that the proposed Thirteenth Amendment will be defeated by the returning slave states. He feels it imperative to pass the amendment beforehand, to foreclose any possibility that freed slaves might be re-enslaved. The Radical Republicans fear the amendment will be defeated by some who wish to delay its passage; support from Republicans in the states is not yet assured. The amendment also requires the support of several Democratic congressmen to pass. With dozens of Democrats being lame ducks after losing their re-election campaigns in , some of Lincoln's advisors believe he should wait for a new Republican-heavy Congress. Lincoln remains adamant about having the amendment in place before the war is concluded and the southern states are re-admitted. Lincoln's hopes rely upon Francis Preston Blair , a founder of the Republican Party whose influence could win over members of the state conservative faction. With two sons serving in the Union Army, Blair is keen to end hostilities before the spring thaw arrives and the armies march again. Therefore, in return for his support, Blair insists that Lincoln allow him to engage the Confederate government in peace negotiations.

Lincoln discusses strategy with them and begins firing off a series of critical directives, especially regarding a Pennsylvania Democrat named Alexander Coffroth.

S teven Spielberg has made more obviously entertaining and more emotionally seductive movies than Lincoln , but this is for him the most brave and, for the audience, most demanding picture in the 40 years since his emergence as a major director. It's a film about statesmanship, politics, the creation of the world's greatest democracy, and it's concerned with what we can learn from the study and contemplation of history. Spielberg and his eloquent screenwriter, the playwright Tony Kushner, handle these themes with flair, imagination and vitality, and Daniel Day-Lewis embodies them with an indelible intelligence as the 16th president of the United States. Lincoln begins a year before the end of the civil war with the movie's only battle scene. It's a minute of the bloody, hand-to-hand combat at Jenkins' Ferry, Arkansas, that by a brilliant piece of editing legerdemain is transformed into two black soldiers recalling the battle while talking to Lincoln about the future of the Union.

The movie showcases his childhood, political career, and personal life. Overall, Lincoln is a must-see movie that accurately portrays history and keeps the audience engaged throughout. As a practical and down-to-earth man from Kentucky. With less than an year of formal education, he read a lot to fill the void caused by minimal education. The man had great intelligence and knowledge of human nature helping with him to reach presidency and his performance in the job. The actor, Daniel Day-Lewis, played the president perfectly as a tall man with graying black hair, and slightly sagging cheeks. There could be no other man better for this role. This film pays more closely the detail of politics than any other in its age. Historical facts shown through the movie gave the view of Lincoln believing that slavery was immoral.

Lincoln movie summary

I've rarely been more aware than during Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" that Abraham Lincoln was a plain-spoken, practical, down-to-earth man from the farmlands of Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois. He had less than a year of formal education and taught himself through his hungry reading of great books. I still recall from a childhood book the image of him taking a piece of charcoal and working out mathematics by writing on the back of a shovel. Lincoln lacked social polish but he had great intelligence and knowledge of human nature. The hallmark of the man, performed so powerfully by Daniel Day-Lewis in "Lincoln," is calm self-confidence, patience and a willingness to play politics in a realistic way. The film focuses on the final months of Lincoln's life, including the passage of the 13th Amendment ending slavery, the surrender of the Confederacy and his assassination. Rarely has a film attended more carefully to the details of politics. Lincoln believed slavery was immoral, but he also considered the 13th Amendment a masterstroke in cutting away the financial foundations of the Confederacy. In the film, the passage of the amendment is guided by William Seward David Strathairn , his secretary of state, and by Rep.

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April 8, Retrieved November 23, With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical period will change the future of America, and generations to come, forever. With the assumption that the Civil War would end in one month, however, Abraham feels it it is imperative to pass the amendment by the end of January, thus removing any possibility that slaves who have already been freed may be re-enslaved. I soon began to sweat and clench my fists as the month of January continued in the movie, time crunching down and down as the Republican agents tried to gain more and more Democratic favor on the passing of the amendment. That aside, the characters were interesting and effective in portraying political figures of the 17th century. Tommy Lee Jones as Stevens. The vote on the amendment is nearly postponed due to the rumor that a Confederate peace delegation is in Washington, ready to negotiate. S teven Spielberg has made more obviously entertaining and more emotionally seductive movies than Lincoln , but this is for him the most brave and, for the audience, most demanding picture in the 40 years since his emergence as a major director. The discussion veers back-and-forth but without resolution. Lincoln suggests they concentrate on the lame-duck Democrats, as they will feel freer to vote as they choose and soon need employment; Lincoln will have many federal jobs to fill as he begins his second term. Archived from the original on July 1,

As the Civil War rages on, U.

In other projects. Meanwhile, Confederate envoys are ready to meet with Lincoln to discuss terms for peace, but he instructs they be kept out of Washington as the amendment approaches a vote on the House floor. Kushner also smoothly weaves the wording of the 13th Amendment into the film without making it sound like an obligatory history lesson. Lincoln must handle it on a variety of fronts: the military, the electorate, a Congress divided on this issue, and his own family. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 24, Neeson was 58 at the time, and Lincoln, during the period depicted, was 55 and The movie shows Lincoln would not commence with peace negotiations until the amendment passed Congress. I soon began to sweat and clench my fists as the month of January continued in the movie, time crunching down and down as the Republican agents tried to gain more and more Democratic favor on the passing of the amendment. Lee 's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse. There are calls to postpone the vote. Steven Spielberg. They discuss what might happen after the proposed amendment passes.